Skip to main content

XP-PEN Deco Mini 7W Review Wireless Pen Tablet

Many people aren't aware that pen-tracking without-actually-touching-the-tablet is a universal feature across screenless graphics tablets. This means, you don't have to guess where the cursor is going to land the on-screen when you draw on a non-screen tablet, which eliminates one of the biggest dilemmas when choosing a pen tablet over a pen display. The pen tablet you see pictured is XP-PEN's new Deco Mini 7W, which is the wireless version of the Deco Mini 7 that came out last year. 
The Deco Mini 7W is identical to the regular Deco Mini 7 (dimensions: 260mm long, 160mm wide and 9mm high) with the exception of a small power button (next to the charging port) for toggling between wireless and wired modes. There is also a status led to feedback battery status, which is useful for telling when battery is low. The status led will flash red when the battery is down to 10% capacity.
The Deco Mini 7W is also a little heavier at 330 grams, compared to the 307 grams weight of the Deco Mini 7 due to the built-in 1000mAh lithium battery, which can retain battery power for up to 15 days in standby mode. The Deco Mini 7W drawing tablet provides up to 10 hours of wireless use and takes 2 hours to charge via 5V/2A. The Deco Mini 7W drawing tablet has stable, 10-meter range wireless connection, thanks to using 2.4Ghz radio frequency connection rather than Bluetooth connectivity.
The Deco Mini 7W ships with the same P05D stylus pen, which is a battery-free drawing pen. Considering there is no battery inside it, the P05D stylus pen is on the heavy side (14 grams). The P05D pen has a rubbery thick body shape that is mostly suited for drawing. If you plan to jot notes, as well as draw, it's worth checking out the G960S graphic tablet, which comes with a ballpoint-pen like stylus. 
The Deco Mini 7W uses the same PenTablet software as the Deco Mini 7W, which is needed in order to remap the functions of the pen stylus and tablet's hotkeys, which are located on the left side. Having the hotkeys on the left is convenient because you can use your right hand to draw while the left hand to activate the hotkeys. If you're left handed though, you can flip the Deco Mini 7W tablet around and change the orientation from the PenTablet software.
From the PenTablet software, you can also adjust the pressure sensitivity of the pen, which supports 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, as well as four functions: run program, right click, middle click and pen/eraser. The tablet hotkeys can be customized too, like shortcuts to quickly access programs or command functions such as CTRL++(Zoom in), which is useful to zero in on small details. Before installing the PenTablet software, it is a good idea to save your work because the software automatically forces the computer to shut down without warning. Also, you may also have to uncheck Windows Ink from the PenTablet software if the pen does not register on the tablet.
As well as wireless connectivity, the Deco Mini 7W integrates a USB-C port for wired connection, making the regular Deco Mini 7 version redundant. There is no details yet on pricing but, if prices are similar the new Deco Mini 7W will effectively "kill" the regular Deco Mini 7 version.
They both have the same 5080LPI resolution, tilt function, 220 RPS report rate and 10mm reading height. Both the Deco Mini 7W and Deco Mini 7 are also compatible with Windows (Win 7, Win 8 and Win 10), Macs (OSX 10.10 and higher) and Android (6.0 and higher) operating systems.

The included cable is also detachable and dual function: charging and wired mode. The cable features a 90 degree USB-C plug connector and USB-A straight plug connector and measures 1.20 meters long. If you're still on the fence about getting a pen tablet like the Deco Mini 7W or a pen display like the Artist Pro, it comes down to preference.
If you're just starting out though, getting a pen tablet will work out cheaper but it will take longer to draw on until you get the hang of it. A pen display is much easier to draw on and you can get crisp lines very quickly because you can see what you're drawing on the tablet without having to look down like you do with a screenless pen tablet. You can buy the Deco Mini 7W from XP-PEN. Check out th review of the new Deco Fun tablet.

Popular posts from this blog

Edifier G4 TE Review Esport Gaming Headset with Unidirectional Mic

The game is not over until it is. And, more often than not the game can be over before it even begins when your headphones aren't up to scratch! The G4 TE are Edifier's latest gaming headphones designed to emphasize positional audio in games (i.e. footsteps and bullet whizzes) for games like Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege (R6 Siege) and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) where anticipating your opponents' position from their footsteps gives you a distinct advantage. If you're a series esport player though, you should check out the  GM3SE  - a true esport gaming headset! The G4 TE boom arm microphone is detachable and has a twist lock connector plug to secure the connection to the headset. The boom arm measures 13cm long, weighs 9 grams and, it integrates memory wire so, it stays bent at any angle you want. The microphone housing integrates a 6mm electret capsule with a unidirectional pickup pattern, which is uncommon since the vast majority of gaming headsets u...

Samsonite Litepoint Review Squared Shaped Backpack

A successful backpack looks nice, fits well and has enough organization to carry one's belongings. There is no question that the style and aesthetics of a backpack is the key selling point along with performance! The Samsonite Litepoint ticks all the boxes and has a classic square shape, which may not be everyone's cup of tea but, it maximizes internal space. This is why travel bags (e.g. suitcases) are shaped differently to backpacks, usually with a rectangular design. The Samsonite Litepoint backpack has a total of six external access compartments, one of which is directly on the front of the backpack. The front facing compartment opens up vertically via 23cm long single zip slider, which is waterproof with reverse coil teeth and reflective material. The front facing compartment is fully padded all-around with closed cell foam and, it's suspended 2 inches above the bottom of the backpack.  The front facing compartment measures 25cm wide and 25cm high and has a narrow inte...

Hidizs S9 Pro Review Dac Amp With Balanced And Unbalanced Outputs

Moore's Law was enacted some 50 years ago and, i's still holding validity to this very day because technology is, indeed, becoming faster and smaller! The Hidizs S9 Pro dac amp is a perfect case example. It's about the size of two cigarettes so, it takes little to no space. Yet, it has the power to overmatch a full size desktop amp. The S9 Pro dac is very small and, just like the S3 Pro dac, the S9 Pro also supports microphone input, which means you can use a gaming headset when playing online games on your computer without having to use an external soundcard as a mic input. The Hidizs S9 Pro has a single-ended 3.5mm port with 100mW (at 32 Ohms) output power and a balanced 2.5mm port with 200mW at 32 Ohms output. Both single ended and balanced outputs deliver plenty of power for driving a range of headphones (6 ohms to 300 ohms), including low impedance and high sensitivity headphones such as planar magnetic headphones (e.g. HE400i and Sundara ).  The S9 Pro is also perfec...